Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil

From the Office of Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil

ESPAÑOLA – The City of Española announces its partnership with Los Alamos County. Los Alamos has provided a $660,000 (six hundred and sixty thousand dollar) grant from their Regional Capital Project Fund to support economic and community development projects for northern New Mexico.

Española plans to use the grant for the design and engineering of a Cultural Heritage Center for the Plaza de Española, and as matching funds for a federal grant to cosmetically rehabilitate the Bond House Museum located in historic West Española. The City is planning to design the Cultural Heritage Center to later incorporate a conference facility able to host meetings and functions for the community.

“The City Councilors and I are committed to developing the Plaza de Española,” Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil said. “this is the heart of our historic downtown area and we want to develop the future potential.”

The City of Española hired a retail recruiting firm earlier in the year, under Vigil’s administration, to attract and retain national retailers to the Española Valley with an emphasis on the downtown.

The City also is aggressively trying to attract housing developers for that area. “The Plaza has been a vision for Española for a long time with plans for cultural attractions to celebrate Española’s rich heritage,” said Vigil, “I’m committed to seeking funding from the Office of the Governor and the State Legislature to complete the project. The funds will help us showcase the project as being shovel-ready.”

Los Alamos County and Los Alamos National Laboratory have been an integral part of the Española Valley and the region for decades. A large contingent of the Española Valley’s population commutes daily to work in Los Alamos.

“Partnerships between our two communities strengthens the area economically and socially,” Vigil said. 

For more information, contact Española City Manager Jordan Yutzy at 505.747.6013.